The Guardian view on Boris Johnson: a question of character
Editorial
Conservative members will choose the next prime minister.
The rest of us need to know whom they are picking
Sun 23 Jun 2019 18.41 BST Last modified on Sun 23 Jun 2019
19.13 BST
Who trusts Boris Johnson? Not, apparently, his team. The
paradox of the race to lead the Conservative party, and therefore Britain, is
that those convinced that Mr Johnson is an irresistible, unstoppable electoral
force at the same time appear terrified that he may encounter meaningful
scrutiny. His conversations in Westminster are reportedly shadowed by an MP
acting as minder. The televised debates to which he has agreed will take place
only after members have received their ballot papers: “If you want the job, you
have to turn up for the interviews,” goaded Jeremy Hunt, adding later that his
rival “needs to show he can answer difficult questions”.
Perhaps Mr Johnson will formulate answers soon. But at the
hustings in Birmingham he was evasive when pressed repeatedly about why police
were called in the early hours of Friday to the flat he shares with his partner
Carrie Symonds. The man who says the public want straight-talking politicians
tried to dismiss and then dodge the question, with a long digression about Routemaster
buses and other defensive, rambling evasions.
Contrary to some of this weekend’s commentary, what happens
behind closed doors should not always stay there. When a woman screams at her
partner to “get off me” and “get out of my flat”, calling the police is a
responsible thing to do. The neighbour who did so says he was frightened and
concerned for those involved; another neighbour also considered dialling 999.
When police say no offences or concerns are apparent and no further action is
needed, as on this occasion, the matter would in normal circumstances end
there. But running for prime minister is not, by definition, a normal
circumstance.
Mr Johnson’s personality has always been both a political
strength and weakness: for all his popularity, doubts over his temperament and
judgment have long dogged him. Those questions are rightly becoming more
pointed as he approaches No 10.
One answer, from his former editor Max Hastings, is that
“I’m not sure he’s capable of caring for any human being other than himself.”
His record in office, too, is one of carelessness and self-promotion. As mayor,
he was careless with public money, backing the doomed garden bridge which cost
taxpayers £43m. As foreign secretary, he was careless with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s
fate; Iran used his remarks to haul her back to court. Again and again – as a
journalist, MP and Brexit’s cheerleader – he was and seems utterly careless
about the truth, appearing committed only to whatever advances his prospects.
Tory members, and voters generally, may have priced his
character in. Previous trespasses have been forgiven. Yet in polls before and
after the Guardian broke news of the incident, his lead as the man judged best
to be prime minister by voters slid from 27 points to 11. His eight-point lead
over Mr Hunt among all voters became a three-point deficit. What some find
amusing in an MP or mayor, and tolerable in a foreign secretary, may look less
funny in a potential PM.
Mr Johnson’s political success has rested on his persona of
plain-speaking affability and charm, and latterly his hard-Brexit credentials.
Under the lens, even the latter are looking fuzzier, as he tells MPs of various
persuasions what they want to hear.
The Tory membership will decide whether Mr Johnson reaches
Downing Street. Their judgment is not a representative one and may not be a
good one, but should be an informed one. The public, denied the right to choose
our leader, have at least a right to know who is being imposed upon us.
Scrutiny is not only appropriate. It is necessary.
More Boris Johnson neighbours confirm 'tear-up' with partner
Two others back up Tom Penn’s account, one of whom ‘thought
someone was being murdered’
Simon Murphy
Sun 23 Jun 2019 12.46 BST Last modified on Mon 24 Jun 2019
08.38 BST
Neighbours of the man who overheard a row between Boris
Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds, prompting a late-night police callout,
have corroborated his account of the incident with one saying the “tear-up” led
him to believe that someone was being murdered.
Tom Penn went public on Saturday as the neighbour who had
recorded the argument in the early hours of Friday morning. He said he had
dialled 999 because he had been “frightened and concerned for the welfare of
those involved”.
Penn, who has lived in his south London flat with his wife
for just over a year, said he contacted the police only as a last resort after
knocking three times at the couple’s front door.
The Guardian’s revelation that police were called to the
flat following the altercation have has shaken Johnson’s Tory leadership
campaign. The frontrunner repeatedly dodged questions about the incident during
a televised hustings on Saturday.
Symonds can be heard on Penn’s recording telling Johnson,
55, to “get off me” and “get out of my flat”.
Another neighbour who heard the row, Earl McDermott, was
reported as saying: “It was a proper tear-up. Glasses being smashed, screaming
and a lot of arguing. I thought someone was being murdered.”
Nursery worker Fatimah, also a neighbour, backed up Penn’s
account. “There was a lot of shouting, a lady was screaming and I could hear
glasses or plates being thrown quite a few times,” she said. “The man was
shouting back. I could hear it through my walls. It was obvious the lady was
angry. She was screaming hysterically.”
Fatimah had earlier told another newspaper she had
considered calling the police herself before officers arrived at the scene. Her
husband, Imran, added that his wife had been frightened by the incident.
The Times reported that Johnson’s 1995 Toyota Previa people
carrier, which had three parking tickets and a mocking flyer on its windscreen,
had been parked outside the flat before being driven away. Another neighbour
told the newspaper: “It’s got loads of parking tickets on it. He just leaves it
here. He doesn’t care.”
Some Sunday newspapers have sought to paint Penn and his
wife as “leftwing neighbours”. The Mail on Sunday highlighted the £720,000 cost
of the “remain-backing” couple’s “luxurious” flat.
In a statement released on Saturday night, Penn explained
the extent of his involvement in politics was voting remain in the EU
referendum, and that he had acted out of concern for “the welfare and safety of
our neighbours”.
Penn said: “Once clear that no one was harmed, I contacted
the Guardian, as I felt it was of important public interest. I believe it is
reasonable for someone who is likely to become our next prime minister to be
held accountable for all of their words, actions and behaviours.
“I, along with a lot of my neighbours all across London,
voted to remain within the EU. That is the extent of my involvement in
politics.
“The unpleasant things being said about myself and my
partner, and some quite frankly bizarre and fictitious allegations, have been
upsetting for not only us, but also for family, friends and fellow Camberwell
neighbours, who are being harangued by the media. I would ask that you leave
private citizens alone and focus instead on those who have chosen to run for
power within the public eye.
“The attempts from some areas of the press to instead focus
their stories on us, and in particular my wife, have been eye-opening, and very
alarming. I would encourage anyone to record any instances where they feel
concerned for another person’s safety.”
Penn also explained that he had overheard the row when he
took delivery of a takeaway at his flat. “On the way back into my flat, it
became clear that the shouting was coming from a neighbour’s flat. It was loud
enough and angry enough that I felt frightened and concerned for the welfare of
those involved, so I went inside my own home, closed the door, and pressed record
on the voice memos app on my phone.
“After a loud scream and banging, followed by silence, I ran
upstairs, and with my wife agreed that we should check on our neighbours. I
knocked three times at their front door, but there was no response. I went back
upstairs into my flat, and we agreed that we should call the police.”
Scotland Yard said in a statement: “At 00.24 on Friday 21
June, police responded to a call from a local resident in [south London]. The
caller was concerned for the welfare of a female neighbour.
“Police attended and spoke to all occupants of the address,
who were all safe and well. There were no offences or concerns apparent to the
officers and there was no cause for police action.”
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